The Sea-Child
by SarasimStark
Summary: A strange child finds herself on the beach of Kells. Separated from her mother, she struggles to survive this strange new world.
1. Danae

The little girl squinted at the sun. It was so bright and so hot. Could it kill her like Mama said? All around her was a skinny stretch of sand, littered with boulders covered with the skeletal remains of algae. They lay there, frozen in stone, waiting for the tide to come in, so they might be green again.  
  
Danae panicked. Would she dry up and die like the seaweed? She remembered one time she saw a whale calf that had managed to beach itself so bad that neither its mother nor her mother was able to bring back to sea. It was a dry, sunken, as though all the water had left it, leaving behind a hard core. Its eyes remained open. panicked.staring blankly into the sun.  
  
She shuddered. It was both very quite and very noisy on Land. No longer could she hear the sound of the surf around her ears, which had been a part of her life since infancy. It was further away, a short walk away but to her, a journey.  
  
Overhead, seagulls squawked. It was a comforting sound; reminding her of the rare times Mama would let her surface.  
  
Then she remembered: Mama was gone. Her memory consisted mostly of images: she could remember floating, she could see debris, wood, and her Mama trying to grab her before blackness set in and Danae woke up on Land. Now she was on her own and would have to try to think of a way to find Mama and survive. She was torn between leaping into the comforting arms of Ocean and waiting on Land. She knew Ocean better than she knew Land but she also knew that Ocean was vast, long stretches of water whose terrain she hadn't completely memorized. Besides, what if Mama came looking for her? Might be best to wait.  
  
She could hear the strange sounds of creatures called Men: footsteps, clanging metal, and the strange language of Talk. They were walking on the beach, almost single file, making strange noises as they peered behind rocks. All Danae could make out was a flash of purple, armour, and curved horns on their head. She crouched down, hoping to become so small that no one can she her.  
  
Then all of a sudden, she saw a brilliant flash of light. A great luminous thing that seemed brighter than the sun itself. There was a fearsome melee as the metal people tried to defend themselves against the light. There were great shouts as the metal people were wounded fighting the light. Finally they retreated, leaving behind miscellaneous bits of armour.  
  
Danae crept out to take a look when all of a sudden, more humans started to come. There were five of them, walking steadily with the air of triumph in their step. They were very queer looking; dressed in clothing that looked like had been chosen at random. They were not uniformly dressed as the metal people. Danae had almost expected them to look like the Lady of Light her Mama had told her about: a bright, ethereal creature with glowing white, almost metallic skin. Many times had she imagined those cold dark emeralds staring at her and a white hand reaching for her. Danae clung to the rock even tighter. The light people crept closer, forming a box all around her. They were giants; she could see their heads touching clouds. One giant, a female she guessed, reached out and said something though didn't understand. Danae decided to study them a bit closer in hopes of finding a weak point.  
  
There was a man with sandy her in red with a red shield and sword. There was a dark-skinned man in blue with a trident. He reminded her a little of the stories her Mama used to tell her about Maori woodcarvers: craftsmen with skin as black as the ocean on a moonless night who created beautiful wooden statues honouring their gods. Of course they carried arrows, not tridents.  
  
The person who had tried to talk to her was a woman with pale skin and red hair. She was dressed in the most peculiar garments: a leather skirt and a sky top. The weapon she held in one hand was one Danae did not recognize but she had her theories about. Beside her stood a man whose clothing and hair was bleached the colour of the sun and beside him was a man whose attire was such a mixture of various bits of material that Danae guessed he had to be a hunter. She shivered as her mind came up with different ways they could kill her.  
  
"I don't think she understands us, Deirdre," Rohan said. He was as perplexed by this situation as the villagers who had sent the cry for help. Why would Nemain send one of her best battalions to search an area uninhabited expect by a handful of grizzled fishermen? It made no logical sense.  
  
The girl was probably the strangest creature they'd ever seen. At first they had mistaken her for a mermaid but she wasn't. She had two legs, not a scaly tail. The knights guessed that this was probably the thing Nemain had sent her troops in search of; therefore she needed to be taken to the castle where Cathbad could protect her.  
  
Unfortunately the poor creature was terrified of them. It was like she'd never seen humans before. The knights guessed that maybe the Temran soldiers had frightened her so they tried their best to appear friendly.  
  
She didn't understand English so the knights were tried to make gestures of friendship. They reached out their bare hands so she might see they wouldn't harm her. She studied them carefully as if trying to commit every feature to memory, before placing her hand in Ivar's palm. 


	2. Curiouser and Curiouser

The sea creature stood up. She was a small, bony clad in garments as green as the waters of the tropics. There were bits of dried algae and bright bits of sewn to her long suit. It was a simple one-piece garment that covered everything below the neck. It was constructed of a strange, light fabric that clung to her form.  
  
Even without her attire she was odd. Her skin was pale with a slight bluish tint to it. It felt rubbery like dolphin skin. Her ears were almost pointed like an elf's and rested flat against her head. Her facial features were fairly normal except her eyes. They were glassy like marbles with an almost opaque sheath covering them.  
  
Her hands were small and thin, the fingers fused together with a thin sheath. Her feet were deformed in such a way-elongated and curved-that she stood shakily on tiptoe, hunched over to give her more balance.  
  
She walked slowly and very unsteadily around the beach as though walking was some ancient art she had to relearn. She hobbled forward trying to maintain some sort of footing. When she fell, Garrett silently walked, picked her up, and placed her on his back wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neckline.  
  
The trip through Kells was a curious one; she'd never seen that shade of green before. Apparently Land was mostly forest. She scolded herself for having mistaken the light people for giants. She knew better now: it was the forest. She wondered if this was the forest where Erlkönig lived.  
  
As they traveled, young creatures, child she guessed they were called, walked up to take a closer look at her. She didn't like them peering at her and poking her but she tolerated it because she was curious about them herself.  
  
Finally they came to a great structure of stone. It was in the middle of a vast clearing and stood even higher than the trees. The light people entered through the building without any trouble. Inside the structure, soldiers sat around, some playing cards, some practicing fighting skills. They looked up and greeted the knights, then went back to whatever they were doing.  
  
They entered into a grand room. It was an airy room with large windows, the curtains drawn to let in the maximum amount of light. There was a long wooden table piled with maps. At the end of the room, was a great chair decorated splendidly. The knights sat down, spreading Danae's body across one of the chairs.  
  
King Conchobar and Cathbad the druid studied the child. She crouched in her chair, as though trying to disappear. Cathbad reached for her, causing the child to shrink even more.  
  
"Can you please explain what happened, Deirdre? Asked the King.  
  
"We received a call for help from the village of Aigneis and went to see what was going on. We found a platoon on Nemain's best men poking around and chased them away. Then we found her," Deirdre said, gesturing towards Danae, "and we assumed she was what Nemain was after."  
  
"I see," the king responded. He turned his attentions towards the girl. She did not look at all the curious faces staring at her but buried her head deeper into her lap.  
  
"I'm afraid she doesn't understand English, sire," Rohan said.  
  
The king turned to Cathbad. "Cathbad, could you take her to your chamber and see what you can find out about her?"  
  
"Yes my king," he responded. Cathbad helped Danae up and led her to his chamber. 


	3. Naiya

The child was carefully examined in Cathbad's shop, where it was discovered that she did understand English. Her early confusion might have been just out of fear. Unfortunately, she was definitely mute so trying to get any information about who see was and where she came from was like pulling eye- teeth. When asked where she was from, she merely pointed at the water on the map.  
  
Since it was apparent she was going to be with them for awhile, Cathbad cast a spell that would give her a human appearance for her protection. Under this spell, she had the appearance of a cinnamon-skinned child with black hair and dark eyes, clad in a red dress.  
  
The hardest part was naming her. Because she could neither speak nor write nor read, she could not tell him her name. Since they couldn't forever call her "the child", Cathbad gave her the one name he could think of when he saw her: Naiya (sea nymph).  
  
To Danae, this was all very frightening and very frustrating. It was frightening to watch them walk around talking about her, wondering about her, wondering what to do with her, and casting spells on her, while she sat back unable to fight back or say a word in their defense. It was strange the way humans spoke the language of Talk. Their mouths were constantly flapping, like gulls. Apparently they moved their mouths to speak Talk.  
  
For some reason their Talk was similar to her Thought-Speak. It had the same sounds and the same meanings but they used their mouths. Why did they use their mouths Danae wondered? Didn't they know mouths were for eating, not speaking?  
  
Danae and her mother spoke Thought-Speak. It was a language not really spoken, but felt. While swimming they would chat with each other by sending thoughts through what her Mama called "the whisper-thread." Even when she was small, she told her Mama what she needed by sending it. At first, they were simple daydreams of light and colour and little messages like "Hungry" or "Tired." As she grew older, she would tell her Mama jokes and stories.  
  
She shuddered as images of debris.pieces of wood.from a ship. Danae clutched herself as her mind recalled how the sea turned black and the waves yanked her away from Mama. Danae could still remember the panicked expression on her Mama's face as she was yanked away from her.  
  
"Naiya." The sound of the druid calling her Land-Name broke her reverie. "Come, the King wishes to see you," he said. Danae took his hand. For now it was probably best that she be obedient towards her captors: that she let them call her that strange name and follow her rules. Right now, they were the only ones offering shelter.  
  
Cathbad brought her before the King. "If you're wondering, I cast a spell that will give her a human appearance," he said.  
  
"Have you found anything?"  
  
"She does understand English, so we can communicate with her. She's mute, though. As for her species, I don't know. I thought at first she might be a nymph, but there are some things that just don't fit. I gave her the name, Naiya, because I couldn't think of anything else."  
  
The King ordered that she be taken to one of the spare rooms and declared that while she was in Kells, she was to be given the same treatment as his daughter.  
  
Deirdre looked towards their new house guest. Danae was running her fingers along the curtains. She couldn't help but wonder what the poor little girl was thinking. She knew she'd be frightened if she was separated from her father and cast into the sea whilst being pursued by an evil goddess. How frightened Naiya must be, she thought.  
  
Deirdre took it upon herself to show Naiya around the castle. She showed first to her father's room, then to hers so that Naiya would always know where she could find her. Deirdre smiled when Naiya began searching through her closet. When she found her harp, she held it to her ear and began plucking each of the strings.  
  
Deirdre smiled. At least someone had found a use for her harp. "Here, let me show you how to tune it," she said. She showed Naiya how to loosen and tighten the strings. "Come on let's go to your room now, Naiya." The child set the harp down on the bed. "You can keep it; I don't play anymore." Naiya looked up her as if to ask "Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes, it's yours, now come on," Deirdre said. The two girls walked, turning down the halls, studying passages, with Deirdre chatting the entire time about the various rooms. Danae was happy to let the girl talk: it took some of the focus off of her. She was grateful Deirdre let her keep the harp. Maybe if she practiced, she could learn the dolphin songs and play them for Mama. Then it hit her: Mama was gone and she might not come back to hear her music.  
  
It's funny the way grief strikes out of the blue. One minute you're listening to someone mention something about some mundane topic such as the weather then all of a sudden it hits you: So and So is gone and you'll never see them again. Danae felt her face grow warm.  
  
Deirdre turned around. "What's wrong?" she asked, forgetting Naiya couldn't talk. Danae concentrated and tried to speak Thought-Speak to her. She shoved the vision towards Deirdre with all the strength in her bones. She'd never concentrated that hard with her mother: with her mother all she had to do was send and her mother would receive. With Deirdre it seemed to take a Herculean strength just to create a single word, and when she was finished with her short message (Mama gone), Deirdre was still staring at her blankly. Danae opened her mouth to try to speak but all that would come out were strange noises. (Cathbad had said her vocal cords weren't designed for speech.) All Deirdre could do was hold the girl and what for the spell to pass. Her father had said, "Naiya needs a friend more than ever now," and Deirdre was determined reach her. Even if she couldn't talk, surely she'd understand gestures of friendship.  
  
Finally the child stopped quivering as though she'd made a conscientious effort to stop getting upset as though she had realized the futility of it all. She stretched and relaxed herself before letting Deirdre continue the tour.  
  
Finally they came to her room. It was nothing like anything she'd lived in. Danae and her Mama were used to a life of sleeping in the dunes of beaches, rock caves, underwater caves, or sometimes just sleeping with dolphins. Sleeping with the dolphins was always hard to coordinate due to the way the herd moved. Dolphins didn't really sleep in the way humans thought of it: curling up, lying down, and shutting their eyes. When it came time to sleep, they would shut off part of their brain and become very still for awhile. Mama and Danae would usually enmesh deep within the group, sleeping and migrating with the calves. Mama said she had learned long ago how to sleep and keep her senses on red alert at the same time. If Danae had a nightmare, her mother was immediately there with comforting words.  
  
Deirdre gave a weak smile as she watched Naiya study the room. "I suppose it's not what you're used to. We do our best." She trailed off at that point. Though she didn't totally understand humans, Danae could tell by the tone in her voice that her feelings were hurt. She concentrated and tried to send the word "Sorry," but for some reason Deirdre couldn't understand Thought-Speak and it just made her more exhausted. It was very queer the way she couldn't understand Thought-Speak, but Danae knew Deirdre probably thought it was very queer she couldn't understand Talk.  
  
Danae tried to think of a way to show her gratitude. She supposed being in the house of the light people was far better than being in the house of the metal people. Mama once told her that bringers of light can only be warriors of good. Then she remembered: one time when she was in the water, close to shore, she saw a man and a woman hug each other. She thought that was so queer because she never saw any of the dolphins touch each other like that. When she asked their mother, she laughed.  
  
"Hugging is their way of showing they care for one another," she said.  
  
"It looked like the way you let me cling to you when we rest at night," Danae said.  
  
Her mother had hugged her then and she hugged Deirdre. Immediately the princess relaxed and Danae felt better, having relieved her sorrow in even a small way. The princess left the room. Danae opened the drawers and the cupboards of her new room. Inside were clothes, strange items such as a long rope and a round little ball, and little blocks with hard covers, weird characters, and strange pictures.  
  
This was all together too much for Danae to take in at once. She set her harp under what she guessed was a bed, then climbed in and went to sleep. She'd figure everything out in the morning. 


	4. Exploration

Danae awoke when the first rays of sunlight hit her window. The sky outside was muted, darkened with clouds. The air had that smell of anticipation which made Danae nervous. She knew that smell meant only one thing: rain. Rain usually didn't pose too much trouble to them; they could hear the noises and feel it, but unless they were swimming close to the surface or crossing strong currents it didn't affect them. Though her Mama had explained to her the purpose of rain, she still felt apprehensive.  
  
Sleep had been rough. The bed she'd been given was so soft and warm even after she'd kicked off all the blankets that she found herself sleeping on the floor. Everything in the room cast strange shadows which made her feel so tiny. Danae missed the sound of her Mama's heartbeat. She missed the sweet sound of her lungs taking in oxygen. With Mama she could always sleep in peace because she'd protect her from any danger.  
  
Danae wished she knew what dangers lurked on Land. In Sea, there were sharks, orcas, and jellyfish. She knew how to evade them, but who was dangerous here? Could a monster be lurking inside that chest? Or under her bed?  
  
Throughout the night, she had strange dreams, all involving her mother. In one of them, she dreamed she was in Erlkönig's forest. She was a child, a chubby toddler of two and the trees were wider than any ship she'd ever seen. It was dark but she could see her mother, dressed in white and standing beside a white horse with a silver horn. Danae ran to catch up with her but her mother smiled, leapt onto the horse, and disappeared.  
  
Danae stretched and yawned; it was time for breakfast. She grabbed huge handfuls of sheets and blanket, piled them on the bed, and tried to make it look as neat as it had when she'd come. Then she headed downstairs.  
  
Danae had trouble finding a place at the breakfast table amidst all those elbows and arms. She slid in between a few of the guards.  
  
Meals were a haphazard affair at the castle. Because they were at war, they couldn't afford luxury items so meals were simple. Nothing was wasted: whatever wasn't eaten at this meal was saved for the next.  
  
There were plates of currant-buns and buttermilk buns fresh from the oven. There were blueberry muffins, still fragrant. To anyone who asked, fruits and vegetables were available. Little slices of ham and sausage were served to everyone. At each plate was a tall glass of fresh milk with cream on top, a little bit of fresh butter and mulberry jelly to smear on whatever you desired.  
  
Danae felt weak as she smelt the food. It had a heavenly, almost holy smell to it. Of course just to be able to sit and eat without worry was an unimaginable luxury. No animal she knew would waste time with small talk during meal time: food was found quick and eaten before any beast caught the scent.  
  
Danae reached across the table and grabbed one of the buns. She studied it carefully trying to figure out what it was made of. Finally she opened her mouth and crammed it in, stuffing it in great wolfish bites.  
  
She reached across the table and grabbed one after another. The bun tasted like a warm thick pillow in her mouth. Danae never thought anything about taste before: most of the time, there was very little to taste under the sea.  
  
The more buns she swallowed, the more a thick lump built in her throat. She could feel her face sting and grow very hot. Her eyes burned as her mind filled with the memory of Mama. Where was she? Was she hurt? Did she have plenty of food?  
  
Danae bolted from the table and went to her room. She grabbed the harp from under her bed and began plucking the tiny strings one by one. The plaintive little sound reminded her of Ashkii. Ashkii was a young male calf, going through what Mama called "the awkward stage." He was determined to prove himself a man to the others yet always seemed to mess up. The elders would always laugh and everyone would click there tongues at little Ashkii. Danae had always felt sorry for him: it isn't easy being small.  
  
Danae tried to see if she could produce the cries of some of her pack brothers and sisters. No matter what she would never forget them. They'd traveled through so many miles of ocean together. Every dolphin had its own unique cry, its special signature, so she could always tell them apart.  
  
Oh Mama, where are you? Danae felt her eyes burn. She buried her face in her pillow. She did not cry though: she couldn't cry. She did not look up when Deirdre walked in.  
  
"Hey." Deirdre said, "That was a nice tune you were playing." Deirdre had no idea why she felt so shy all of a sudden; she'd never been at a loss for words. "I bet it reminds you of home. Do they have music there?"  
  
Do they have music there? Danae had never heard such a silly question. If only she knew what kind of music they had. The clicks and whistles of dolphins, the laughter of seals. Sometimes when they traveled over reefs, Danae could have sworn she heard the waves whistle throw them.  
  
Danae was tempted to dismiss Deirdre as one of those arrogant humans her mother told her about, but something told her not to. After all perhaps the girl was trying to establish common ground. Lekha, one of the elders, once told her, "You can judge a person by their music." So she simply nodded and hoped Deirdre understood.  
  
"I wish I could here your music, Naiya, I really do. You must forgive me if I sound like a terrible clod," said Deirdre. She reached out her hand. "Now come on. Papa suggested I take you with us on patrol so you can see more of Kells."  
  
Danae placed the harp under the bed and took Deirdre's hand. The two girls walked out, hand in hand, somehow managing to say so much to each other without every opening their mouths.  
  
The earth held endless wonders, long forgotten by the Knights. It was soft, yet ripe with potential for new life. Danae found herself entranced by each little plant. Was alive the way the coral and anemones were? Or was it more like algae, gripping itself to whatever surface it found? The plants weren't quite as pretty as the coral but maybe it was pretty in another way. Maybe it was beautiful because of its strength; it didn't have water to shield it from the sun.  
  
The knights did their best to identify all the creatures, but even they weren't a match for her endless curiosity. Many of them had looked at those creatures a thousand times without giving a thought but for Danae, rabbits were brand-new.  
  
"Don't worry. Given the way those beasts reproduce, it won't be long until she has her fill of rabbits," Garrett said.  
  
Danae found the rabbits endlessly fascinating. Their softy glossy coat, whiskers, long ears, and black eyes were something of note. What did they think about? Probably families. Mama said only fish didn't have families.  
  
The horse was kind of frightening. It stood taller than any Land beast she'd seen thus far and the way it snorted at her. It's thick legs looked like it could do serious harm.  
  
The group walked on for a bit, slowly so that Danae could explore, until the clouds finally burst. The group rested under a large maple in front of a large clear pond. Danae raced around the pond, dancing in the rain. She had always wondered what rain felt like to the creatures above her. It felt cool and refreshing; it was like something deep within her was being replenished. She watched as the rain danced on the pond. Little minnows skittered through the cool water, moving whenever the rain hit the pond. Danae waded in the water, not paying any heed to the hem of her skirt. She could have gone stayed in there forever when she saw something on land that caught her attention. It was a log almost thoroughly rotted out. It's insides were so soft and spongy that Danae could scoop them out easily. The wood had a strange smell to it, an unpleasantness, but to Danae it represented the beginning of new life. She scattered handfuls of it in the water. Bright coloured fish dived in and out, grabbing bits to take with them to their sea home.  
  
When Danae finally tired of playing, the Knights escorted her back to the castle. The King didn't complain when they all came in half-soaked. There were far more important things than a soaked skirt.  
  
  
  
Danae went to sleep with pleasant visions in her head. In one day she'd seen such beauty. She wished her mother were here. She thought about the friends she made. Cathbad the ancient Druid, King Conchobar the kind monarch, Deirdre his lovely daughter, Rohan the warrior Draganta, Ivar the foreign prince of water, Angus the (former) thief, Garrett the prince of forest, and Aideen the faery. It was all so marvelous, like something from one of her mother's old faery tales. Danae wished she could tell stories as good as her Mama but she could never seem to get one going. 


End file.
